Backups, portability, and reinstalling after a Windows reset
Updated 25 Sep 2026
BRUTAL keeps a small backup for every reversible change you apply, so you can press Undo and put things back the way they were. Those backups are tied to your Windows user profile, not to Windows itself — which matters a lot before a reinstall, a reset, or a move to a new PC.
Where the backups live and what survives
The per-module Undo backups sit under your Windows user profile at %ProgramData%\BRUTAL Optimizer\Backups\<your SID>. They survive reboots and normal use, so the Undo buttons on the Optimize page keep working across sessions.
What they are not is a Windows-wide backup. They only know how to revert the specific tweaks BRUTAL applied. Two modules — Module 1 (process/service kill) and Module 2 (cache clean) — are transient and were never reversible, so there is nothing in backups for them.
backups folder. The optimizations you applied to the registry, power plan, and modules stay on the machine, but your one-click Undo for them is gone with the folder.Before you wipe, reinstall, or switch PCs
Do these first, in this order, depending on what you want:
- Want a tweak reverted? Use its per-module Undo, or run Settings → Restore All Defaults, before wiping. Once the backups are erased there is no one-click way back. See Undo and Restore All Defaults.
- Want to rebuild your setup afterward? Use Export Settings to save your configuration to a file you keep, then Import it after the reinstall to re-apply the same modules.
backups folder does not.If you have already wiped and the backups are gone, your fallback is the System Restore point BRUTAL takes before major changes ("BRUTAL Optimizer — Before Optimization"). That is a Windows-level snapshot, separate from the BRUTAL backups folder. See System restore points.
A quick mental model
| Item | Survives a reboot? | Survives reinstall / reset / new PC? |
|---|---|---|
Undo backups (%ProgramData%\BRUTAL Optimizer\Backups\<your SID>) | Yes | No |
| The applied optimizations themselves | Yes | Yes (they stay; only the Undo path is lost) |
| An exported settings file | Yes | Yes (it is a file you keep) |
If something still isn't adding up after a move or reset, email [email protected] with your app version, your Windows version, and the steps you took.
FAQ
Do my Undo backups move with me to a new PC?
No. The backups in %ProgramData%\BRUTAL Optimizer\Backups\<your SID> are stored per Windows account under ProgramData (admin-only, so a non-admin cannot rewrite a manifest the app will later execute) and are erased by a reinstall, reset, or new PC. Use Export Settings to carry your setup over, and Undo any tweak you want reverted before you wipe.
I already did a Windows reset and want to undo a tweak. What now?
The per-module backups are gone, so there is no one-click Undo. Your fallback is the System Restore point BRUTAL takes before major changes ("BRUTAL Optimizer — Before Optimization"). See /support/system-restore-points.
Is the backups folder the same as a Windows backup?
No. It only knows how to revert the specific tweaks BRUTAL applied, and it is not protected by a Windows reset or reinstall. Keep an exported settings file separately if you want portability.
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Still stuck?
Email us, and include your app version from Settings.